Dear Penguins and Parents:

Hope you all had a nice Mother’s Day weekend! Here’s a peek at what’s coming up in Week 3:

PENGUIN MADNESS THIS FRIDAY

Penguin Madness will be this Friday, May 19, from 6:00 to 8:00pm. There will be no swim practice on this day.

Preliminary team rosters will be posted to the Penguin Madness page of the website later this week and will also be posted at the pool. Swimmers are encouraged (but not required) to wear the color of their designated penguin team. Note that these are all dryland games, so wear comfortable clothes and shoes so you can run, jump, crawl, etc.

Thank you to everyone who has already signed up. If you haven’t yet, it’s not too late! Send an email today to info@swimlpac.org and include your child’s name and age. There is no cost for this event.

Parents and siblings are encouraged to come and cheer for their favorite penguins; this is a family event that is fun for all. This year we will even have games that parents can join in! We recommend that you bring warm layers, plus snacks, water, and folding chairs or blankets to sit on.

GAME NIGHT FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS

Swimmers in the high school practice group are invited to stay for Game Night at the clubhouse immediately following Penguin Madness. Please bring snacks or drinks to share!

We do need at least one or two additional parent volunteers from the high school age group to help chaperone. Please respond to this email if you’re available to help.

A NOTE FROM THE COACHES

Please remember that swimmers need to be on the deck and ready to swim at least 5 minutes before their official practice time begins, so we can start each practice on time.

During practices this week, the coaches will be evaluating each swimmer in all four strokes to determine what specific areas to focus on this season.

VOLUNTEER SIGNUPS ONLINE

This year we are doing online sign-ups for volunteers. You should have already received an email with information about how to sign up. If you did not receive that, please send email to volunteers@swimlpac.org and let our Volunteer Coordinators know the best email to use for contacting you.

There are some “trained” positions that will not appear on the sign up and have already been filled. If you have been contacted about these trained positions, you do not need to sign up online. Also, if you came to the parent meeting and already signed up for Time Trials there, you do not need to sign up again for this first meet.

Sign-ups will be available at 9:00 am on the Monday morning preceding each meet. Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Here is the link to sign up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080e49aea92babf49-lpac

Remember, at Time Trials (on June 3) we need extra helpers, because our team has to fill all the volunteer positions. All families must sign up for at least one shift. If you have two or more children, you may be asked to work a second shift. Families with 3+ children are required to sign up for two shifts. If you have special needs, please contact the Volunteer Coordinators.

STROKE AND TURN CLINIC

One very specialized volunteer position is Stroke and Turn Judge. If you are interested in learning how to do this important job, please come to the Stroke and Turn Clinic at the clubhouse on Saturday, May 20 from 9:00 am – 11:30 am. If you have questions, please contact Nancy Keslin at 408-838-5604 or nkeslin@yahoo.com.

LOST AND FOUND

A pair of children’s eyeglasses was found outside the pool last Friday evening. Please let the coaches know if you think these might belong to your child.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Friday, May 19: Penguin Madness
• Saturday, May 20: Stroke and Turn Clinic (9:00 am – 11:30 am)
• Monday, May 29: Memorial Day Clinic (no regular practices)
• Tuesday, May 30: Practice times change
• Wednesday, May 31: Picture Day
• Saturday, June 3: Time Trials
• Monday, June 5: Time Trials Make-Ups

It was great to see so many penguins back in the water for the first week of practices! Special thanks to Tabby Vaidyanath and her hardy crew of flapjack flippers for hosting a fun Pancake Breakfast to kick off the season. Now it’s on to Week 2!

WELCOME NEW PENGUINS!

We’ve got 14 brand new penguins on the team this year! Please join us in welcoming Paige, Gus, Aria, A.J., Evynn, Isabel, Alyssa, Ona, Yasmin, Benham, Samantha, Kaitlyn, Tai and Ander! And special thanks to all the high school swimmers who have been helping out during practices.

EMAIL COACHES

Just a reminder: if you need to communicate with the coaches about schedule conflicts or any other issues, please send email to coaches@swimlpac.org.

PENGUIN MADNESS COMING SOON!

Most of the year, we’re all one big happy penguin family. But at Penguin Madness, swimmers from all age groups are grouped into different penguin teams to compete in fun non-swimming events like tug-of-war and musical chairs to see who has the most penguin power. This year Penguin Madness will be on Friday, May 19 from 6:00-8:00 pm (there are no regular practices on that day). If your child plans to participate, please reply to this email.

STROKE & TURN CLINIC ON MAY 20

We are in need of new Stroke & Turn judges. Judges are needed to observe every race and be sure swimmers are swimming each stroke correctly. It’s a great way to learn more about the sport and get involved during meets. If you’re interested, please plan to attend the special training clinic on Saturday, May 20, at 9:00 am at the Los Paseos Clubhouse. The session usually lasts until 11:30 am. For more information, contact Nancy Keslin at nkeslin@yahoo.com or 408-838-5604.

RESERVE ROOMS NOW FOR RAFT TRIP

If you are planning to go on the Raft Trip on July 1, you might want to book your hotel rooms now, as spaces are filling up fast. Mention “Los Paseos Swim Team” to get discounted group rates at the hotels listed below:

• Motel 6 (209-847-8181)  Group rate: per night:  $109 1 king,  $119 2 queens
• Holiday Inn (209-847-9121)  Call Karen Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday after 4 pm or Saturday before 11 am Group rate: $178 1 bed, $188 2 bed.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Friday, May 19: Penguin Madness
• Saturday, May 20: Stroke and Turn Clinic (9:00 am – 12:00 pm)
• Monday, May 29: Memorial Day Clinic (no regular practices)
• Tuesday, May 30: Practice times change
• Wednesday, May 31: Picture Day

Dear Penguins and Parents:

Looks like we’ll have ideal swimming weather for the first week of the season. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at practice tomorrow!

PRACTICE TIMES

Please try to arrive at least 5 or 10 minutes before your scheduled practice time. Be sure you have your cap and goggles and are ready to swim.

• All new swimmers: 5:00-5:30 pm (this week only)
• 8 & under: 5:30–6:15 pm
• 9-11: 6:15–7:00 pm
• 12-14: 7:00–8:00 pm
• High school: 8:00–9:00 pm

SUITS & MERCHANDISE ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

You can try on and order team suits and merchandise on Thursday and Friday of this week (5/4 and 5/5) from 5:00 to 8:30 pm. Note that we are keeping the same black and white team suit from last year, so if your children’s suits still fit, you do not need to order new ones. If your kids do need to try on suits, please do so before practice begins if possible, as it’s much harder once the kids are wet. We require that swimmers wear either a team suit or a plain black suit to all meets. There will also be lots of fun LPAC merchandise for sale, so be sure to leave some time before or after practice to do some shopping!

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Swimmers and parents are invited to catch up with their LPAC friends at the annual Pancake Breakfast this Saturday, May 6 from 8:30 am to 10:00 am at the clubhouse. The cost is $5 per person at the door; you do not need to RSVP for this event. Hope to see you there!

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Monday, May 1: Evening practices begin
• Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5: Suits and Merchandise Try-Ons and Ordering
• Saturday, May 6: Pancake Breakfast
• Friday, May 19: Penguin Madness
• Saturday, May 20: Stroke and Turn Clinic (9:00 am – 12:00 pm)
• Monday, May 29: Memorial Day Clinic (no regular practices)
• Tuesday, May 30: Practice times change
• Wednesday, May 31: Picture Day

GO PENGUINS!